Dutch holidaymakers face major delays on routes to Southern Europe

Dutch holiday traffic heading to Southern Europe slowed sharply Saturday morning, with long delays reported at well-known bottlenecks in France, Austria, and Switzerland, according to the ANWB’s European traffic information service.

On France’s Autoroute du Soleil (A7), a key route for Dutch travelers driving toward the Mediterranean, delays near Valence reached more than 80 minutes between Lyon and Orange. In western France, motorists heading to southwestern destinations on the A10 toward Bordeaux faced heavy congestion near Fenioux.

The ANWB said the largest wave of holiday congestion in France peaked at 11:40 a.m., with 1,237 kilometers of traffic jams affecting both departing and returning travelers. The busiest points included the A7 near Valence, the A9 between Nîmes and Perpignan in both directions, the A75 between Millau and Clermont-Ferrand — where accidents occurred — and the A63 from Bordeaux toward the Spanish border.

In Austria, drivers traveling toward Slovenia encountered a 45-minute standstill before the Karawankentunnel on the A11.

The Swiss Gotthard Tunnel, another major holiday route used by Dutch vacationers, was congested in both directions, with more than an hour’s wait for motorists heading both south and north.

“On the rest of the European roads, we are seeing a striking amount of returning traffic from the Alpine countries, especially Germans and Scandinavians,” an ANWB spokesperson said, adding that the Netherlands was also busy with travelers returning from summer holidays.

The ANWB said such congestion is typical during peak summer travel, when many Dutch drivers set off early in the day to reach destinations in France, Italy, Spain, and beyond.